The article is developed in partnership with BetterHelp.
Are adolescence and childhood the same? You may have heard them used that way, but they are in fact different ways of categorizing children by age.
This article will explain the key differences between childhood and adolescence and what goes on during this time in terms of physical and mental development.
So, read to learn more!
Childhood
Ah, childhood. This one is a bit tricky. Why’s that? Because it depends on where you live.
Childhood is “the state of being a child,” so whether or not someone is a child or not technically depends on the place they live and what their rules are for when a child becomes a legal adult (instead of being a minor).
In general, however, the age of advancing from minor to adult status is usually between fourteen and eighteen years of age, depending on the state or country.
Childhood is an essential part of our life because it massively forms who we are as adults. Whether we like it or not, much of our experience as children sticks with us, even if only on a subconscious level. As such, our mental health can be dramatically affected by what goes on in childhood.
If you’d like to learn more about childhood, consider checking out the helpful resources on the subject available online through BetterHelp.
Adolescence
We’ve covered childhood, but what about adolescence? You’ve probably heard this word used in the same exact way as childhood, but it shouldn’t be!
Well, why’s that? Because adolescence is a more precise term than childhood.
Whereas childhood covers the entire time between birth and the start of adulthood, adolescence refers specifically to one period of childhood. This period starts with the arrival of puberty and ends with beginning of adulthood.
So, for many children, adolescence would begin between roughly 9 and 12 and end around 16-18, depending on when puberty starts and the state or country where they live.
Childhood Versus Adolescence
Let’s take a quick look now at how adolescence and childhood compare when it comes to different aspects of development, mental health, and overall well-being.
Physical Activity
Children absolutely should be active. It’s important for them to develop their motor skills and learn how to play (i.e. socialize) as children. Sports and other physical activities can be helpful for assisting this process in a fun way.
Starting with adolescence, however, certain physical and hormonal changes occur. During this time, many children may become better athletes than others whereas there was less separation when they were younger. This is due to the onset of puberty and the changes that it incurs.
Following puberty, adolescents should have capable motor skills and the physical characteristics they will have for the rest of their life (generally speaking).
Attitude Changes
Just like adults, children experience plenty of ups and downs when it comes to attitude and mood. Young children are especially well known for throwing temper tantrums, which may be partly because they cannot express themselves well verbally.
Adolescence often brings significant changes in mood and attitude, and these can occur quite rapidly. The main culprit is hormonal changes, but the way the child is raised and other external factors (e.g. peer pressure) are hugely important as well. They may start to dress differently and behave differently in order to try to fit in with a certain crowd and/or be different from their family members.
Conclusion
It’s easy to confuse childhood and adolescence since the terms are thrown around as synonyms so often. In short, however, childhood refers to the period between birth and the start of adulthood, and adolescence begins with puberty and also ends with the start of adulthood.
Childhood, and particularly adolescence, can be difficult. There are all kinds of hormonal changes and external factors that may cause problems. It’s important for parents to be encouraging and understanding as adolescents go through the ups and downs of this period.
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